Security-as-a-Function in 5G Network: Implementation and Performance Evaluation

The service-based architecture of 5G allows network operators to place softwarized network functions on commodity hardware with the help of software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) technologies. While several existing works focused on network function placement and service routing in a 5G network theoretically, more investigation is required to study the performance of the softwarized network functions when placed on commodity hardware. In this paper, we study the softwarized network security function placement in a 5G network and its impact on the network performance. Specifically, we focus on the implementation of primary network security functions, such as intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) and network address translation (NAT), in a 5G network using open-source tools. We present a comprehensive method for the function placement, network configuration, and performance evaluation in the presence of synthetic network traffic. The extensive experiment results show that softwarized network security functions can be used to meet the quality-of-service requirements of specific applications in 5G. In contrast, dedicated hardware-based network functions may be required to support applications with stringent QoS requirements.